About Stef

Family: Husband (Tom) and little man Lincoln James.
Dwelling: A 1967 Ranch home that changes every day.
Homemaker tip: Don’t be afraid to fail. A bad meal can always be fixed with a frozen pizza, a dead plant can be replaced and paint can cure a room.
I consider my style: Contemporary with a vintage flair. I love a sleek piece of furniture with the contrast of an old vase or a stack of old used books.
I cannot live without eating: Italian Beef sandwiches. I am Chicago-bred and love a good beef with sweet peppers. Pizza is a close second.
Three foods you will always find in my pantry: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Crushed Tomatoes and Chicken Broth.
My cooking mantra: Even foods that were destined to be bad for you can be recreated in a healthy way.

The leaves are turning and so is the weather. That means Halloween is just around the corner! I want to take the time to revisit a post of mine from a few years ago that’s been getting a lot of action on Pinterest and the web as well as many comments and questions. My little Curious George lover was the Man with the Yellow Hat when he was three. It was my version of a homemade costume (which means no sewing!). So today I will share with you how I put this together!

For the outfit: I looked everywhere for a bright yellow shirt and came up with nothing. That’s when I decided to try my first turn and dying clothes. So much fun! I bought a white oxford shirt and very light khaki pants from Old Navy (white would be better but was hard to find in the fall, and for boys!). Shirt can be found here. Similar pants found here. Following the directions on the package, I used yellow Rit Dye to turn both pieces the bold yellow I was looking for.

I used my husband’s brown socks and hiked them up over the pants, pairing them with his brown shoes. Debate on brown or black can happen between the book and the show, but I went old school. I’m a writer and a purist, what can I say?

For the hat: The hat is actually what I would call an adult pimp hat from a local Halloween store. Or perhaps some would call it a cowboy hat. Either way, I took black ribbon and adhered it to the hat with tacky glue. Now, because the hat was adult-sized, I glued in some foam pieces on either side above the ears to make it a bit more snug. Worked like a charm!

For the tie: Again, I don’t sew. So for the tie, I freehand drew an outline of a tie and cut it with felt. I cut black polka dots and stuck them to the tie with tacky glue. I then pinned the tie to the shirt with a safety pin.

Once little Lincoln picked up George, all he needed to do was say, “Now be a good little monkey…” and the costume was complete!

I hope this helps and that you and your little ones have a wonderful Halloween!

Well, hello! It’s been awhile! I apologize for the long delay in posts. But I’m happy to announce my family is settled back in the great dairy state of Wisconsin! So moving, houses, boxes, jobs, kids, blah blah blah = hiatus. But I’m back to share a peach salsa recipe that is out of this world.

I’m once again honored to receive the most beautiful box of peaches from the Washington State Stone Fruit Growers to participate in a canning recipe for www.sweetpreservation.com. These were the juiciest peaches I’ve ever eaten and the juice dripping down my 1-year-old’s chin would agree! I wanted to pair them with some other garden fresh items, so I added tomatoes and cilantro to make a wonderful salsa that is not only delicious as a condiment, but makes the most amazing pulled pork ever. Pork shoulder, jar of cilantro peach salsa – bam! (to steal from Emeril) and you’ve got one great dinner.

So without further ado, here is the recipe so you can try it for yourself. Salsa can seem daunting but it isn’t!

To peel the peaches and tomatoes, start with a large stock pot of boiling water. Place tomatoes in the water for 2-3 minutes, or until the skin starts to split. Immediately place tomatoes in ice bath to cool. Once cool to touch, the skins will slide right off. Cut into large chunks.

Using the same pot of water, do the same with the peaches. Place in water for about 1-2 minutes until the skin starts to peel away. Place in ice water bath, peel and cut into chunks.

Like this:

What’s summer without a little cherry on top? We were fortunate enough to receive a gorgeous shipment of Rainier Bing Cherries from the folks at SweetPreservation.com. I’m a huge sucker for a real cherry pie (for the Wisconsinites out there, a Door County Cherry Pie, what? Does it get better?). Here’s my cherry pie secret: I’ve never made one. Gasp! Well, praise to the pie gods, I’m all ready to go now.

This homemade cherry pie filling is sweet and tart all at the same time. It’s beautiful in color and will work well as a pie, crepe, or donut filling or as a pancake, waffle or ice cream topping. Or scoop it right out of the jar and eat it by the spoonful. It’s that good.

Pitting the cherries is two-thirds the battle. I took a Wilton frosting tip (#3!), stuck it on the end of my finger and pushed the pits out. You could purchase a cherry pitter which looks amazing, but if they didn’t have it at Target, I wasn’t getting one. So strap on an apron, get ready to have some red fingers and let the good times roll!

Add cherries, sugar and lime juice to a large saucepan. Heat on medium, allowing cherries to warm, releasing their juices. Stir occasionally, about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cornstarch and water together in separate bowl. When cherries are warmed through, mix in cornstarch mixture. Allow to heat through to boil, another 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Allow to cool.

If you’re canning, following the step by step canning methods on Sweetpreservation.com.

Spring is in the air and Easter is right around the corner! Looking for the perfect side dish to go with your ham? Look no further. These smoked gouda scalloped potatoes are the perfect compliment to that holiday ham. The smokiness of the cheese combines perfectly with the potatoes to create a savory side dish that will get all of your relatives talking. Or not talking. Because they will be too busy eating. And grabbing seconds.

Smoked Gouda Scalloped Potatoes

Serves 8

2 lbs red potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced

8 oz baby spinach, chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP unsalted butter

2 TBSP flour

1 C whole milk

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

8 oz smoked Gouda, rind trimmed and shredded

4 oz shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Whisk flour until combined. Slowly whisk in milk. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes. Slowly add Gouda, whisking as it melts. Set aside.

In a saute pan, heat olive oil. Add spinach and heat until wilted. Remove from heat.

In a shallow 3 quart baking dish, layer first half of potatoes. Layer sautéed spinach and half the Gouda sauce. Spread to cover potatoes. Layer the rest of the potatoes and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and set oven to low broil. Broil until crust turns brown and crispy, 1-3 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes before eating.

Looking for other Easter side dishes? Check out these #SensationalSides from our friends at the Food Network and around the web!

It’s hard to believe I’m posting my little man’s fifth birthday. We’ve come along way from our Little Peanut party. LEGOs…ahhh LEGOs. Timeless small land mines of colorful plastic that will occupy your typically boisterous child for hours on end. Parents rejoice! I was more than happy to oblige when Lincoln decided he wanted a LEGO birthday party. Fun, easy and colorful, there are so many options to create your very own LEGO party on a very limited budget. Many of the items were made by using a circular hole punch and foam squares to raise the circles off the paper. We utilized many of the LEGO items we have in our house for colorful accents! I created an invitation similar to this sign, which adorned our mantle along with a few other Lincoln and LEGO items. I painted pasta sauce and salsa jars using a yellow spray paint. The face was made by punching out circles and cutting mouths from adhesive black paper, then sticking them to the jar. The kids all decorated LEGO man faces and played a rousing game of Pin the Head on the LEGO man! All of our party guests were asked to guess how many LEGOs were inside the jar. The winner won some birthday cake M&Ms! The cake was a homemade chocolate cake with buttercream frosting. The “LEGOs” were candies made by melting candy melts and placing them in a LEGO block candy mold. Some of Lincoln’s LEGO men made an appearance to help hold the candles for the birthday boy. The treat bags were filled with small lego kits and chocolate lego candy favors. The grown ups also received some chocolate candy LEGOs as a parting gift. And for being awesome. We purchased yellow square plates and used the same black adhesive paper from the pasta jar lego head to make a variety of faces. Our big five-year-old and his almost five-year-old cousin were very excited for the party! Happy birthday Lincoln! We think you’re awesome!

Every year, I treat my valentine (and in this case, my three valentines) to a special chocolate treat. As I’ve stated before and hopefully you’ve forgotten, I actually do not like chocolate. And not in the “I’ll eat this but it’s not my favorite” way but in the “if an M&M happens to make it’s way into my DQ Blizzard I might throw something at someone” way. It makes me less likable, I know this. People are literally offended at this fact so I try not to mention it. So, forget you ever read this. Now that we live a stone’s throw away from the mighty Mississip, I found it fitting to take on a truly chocolate pie. This was almost what I’d consider the Great Pie Fail of 2015, but it surprisingly turned out great. It’s got a flaky chocolate pie crust, an ooey gooey chocolate center and a fluffy whipped topping. Plus the shaved chocolate on top makes it look kind of fancy, don’t you think? Mississippi Mud Pie Crust: 1 2/3 C all-purpose flour 2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and cold 2 TBSP sugar 3-4 TBS cold water Filling: 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter 1 3/4 C packed light brown sugar 4 eggs 4 TBSP unsweetened cocoa 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 C half and half Topping: 1 C heavy whipping cream 1 bar semisweet chocolate For the dough: Mix flour and cocoa in large mixing bowl. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Gently mix in sugar. Drizzle cold water over dough and work into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough on a lightly flour surface. Place in pie dish or loose-bottomed tart pan. Place parchment paper on top and set dried beans or pie weights on top. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and remove parchment and beans. Bake for 10 more minutes. Set aside. For filling: Beat butter and sugar on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add cocoa one TBSP at a time. On the stove, melt chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl atop a pot of simmering water, stirring continuously. When melted, remove from heat and whisk in cream. Add chocolate mixture to bowl and beat at a medium speed. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Transfer to plate. In a mixture with a whisk attachment, beat whipping cream at a high speed for approximately 5-8 minutes or until thick. Spread on top of pie. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate to sprinkle over top. Slice and serve.

Can’t get enough chocolate? Try some of these for your sweetie this Valentine’s Day from our friends around the web!

I’ve seen plenty of recipes and pins around the web for “pancakes” made with just eggs and bananas. I’ve tried this. It’s not bad. I’ve also tried “pancakes” that are eggs and oatmeal. Also not bad. But I don’t want not bad. I want good! I want delicious! I want to feel like I’m really eating a pancake darn it! I’ve decided to combine the two ideas with a few other extra additions for a healthy version of a pancake that is super fast to whip up and healthy for the whole family. This version resembles more of a pancake to me. My little man gobbled them up with the addition of a few blueberries and some maple syrup. Sliced almonds and a drizzle of honey for me and it was a great sweet and healthy way to start the day. Healthy Banana Oatmeal PancakesMakes 10-12 3 eggs 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 1/4 plain non-fat Greek yogurt 1 ripe banana 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp vanilla Honey and sliced almonds if desired Preheat a skillet. Add all ingredients (minus honey and almonds) to a blend or food processor. Blend until smooth. Grease skillet and pour batter into circles. Flip when top becomes bubbly. Cook for another minute or two – until cooked all the way through. Remove from skillet. Drizzle with honey and top with sliced almonds. Enjoy!

Here are some more great pancake recipes from around the web with our friends from Food Network!